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WetsNext

Good question: WetsNext?

What is next after Wetskills? How to follow-up great concepts? That is WetsNext. This is a new program to stimulate follow-up activities based on the concepts and results of the Wetskills Challenges. The first focus of WetsNext is on further (feasibility) studies done by the same target group as Wetskills, but intensively guided by case owners, Wetskills alumni, other interested partners to come further and gain impact.

WetsNext connects partners for follow-up

For companies and organizations in the water sector: WetsNext is a chance to have one or more students / young professionals working on your promising solutions.

For students and young professionals: WetsNext is a great assignment or internship to develop promising concepts to the next level. Supervised by experts they can develop ideas into working solutions.

For Universities, WetsNext has great concepts for education and research purposes.

WetsNext ‘rules’

WetsNext aims to bring partners together around a Wetskills concept, working together to have a follow-up step (feasibility studies and pilots) and eventually implementation to gain impact.

In principle, the first steps of the WetsNext projects are based on energy and no or low costs involved. Students/Young Professionals get an (internship) assignment and pay their costs (flights, accommodation, daily costs, etc.), the partners (case owners and interested organizations) contribute inkind with network and expertise and universities worldwide support the process (supervision, working location, cheap accommodation, etc.).

The Wetskills Foundation labels WetsNext projects. It initiates, stimulates and follows the projects.

WetsNext study for ILLUVIA concept in South Africa

A project that aims to improve the access to clean drinking water and sanitation in rural areas and informal urban settlements in South Africa. It started out as a case study by BersonUV during Wetskills-South-Africa 2016, which resulted in the ILLUVIA concept. (POSTER)

The main ambition is to provide the community with more than just safe drinking water and proper sanitation, like: ablution facilities, electricity and wifi. Thereby, we aim to smartly combine technologies and to involve the target community and local enterprises in planning and implementation. Jobs are created in the maintenance of the facility and a small agribusiness that uses pretreated wastewater from the facility for irrigation. Like this, we aim for the project to evolve into a self-sustaining source of community upliftment and economic development.

A Dutch student from Utrecht University will do a feasibility study of three months near Cape Town. A South African entrepeneur and BersonUV will provide her support. She will be linked to the University of Cape Town, where one of her team mates is doing his PhD study.

WetsNext pilot plastic reuse for rain barrels

Ambition: To develop a rain barrel from recycled plastics for a competitive prize (and so reducing the plastic waste worldwide)

This basis idea of reusing shredded plastic for small scaled storm water infrastructure was posed by the team that worked on the case of Water Authority Delfland during Wetskills-USA 2016 (POSTER).

The aim of WetsNext project is to: 1. Developing a Programme of Demands and a first design, 2. Piloting at the Living Lab plastic in Culemborg and optimizing, 3. Business case and 4. Network analysis.

Groups of students from the Industrial Design Engineering department of Rotterdam University of Applied Science will do the first steps of this assignment of Water Authority Delfland. This is in close cooperation with Searious Business, an organization that strives to clean-up the Ocean from plastic. Searious Business initiated a Living Lab for plastic with some industrial partners in Culemborg, which will bring their residual plastic.

WetsNext: City BluePrints worldwide

Wetskills Foundation partnered with KWR Watercycle Research Institute / University of Utrecht to roll-out the City BluePrint concept worldwide. Students will stay at partners of Wetskills Foundation to execute City BluePrint Assessments. Based on these assessments we know more about the water management and water governance status of cities, directions for improvement and we can even compare cities.

The City BluePrint was an assignment for one of the Wetskills teams in Boston-USA (POSTER). The first WetsNext try-out was a project to develop the City BluePrint in Ahmedabad. A City BluePrint of Milwaukee, USA has been executed together with the network of Wetskills Foundation.

Do you have any questions? Don’t hesitate to ask!

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Wetskills

Wetskills Is An Independent Foundation Based In The Netherlands. Wetskills Is Part Of The Human Capital Agenda Of The Dutch Water Sector. The Royal Netherlands Water Network (KNW) Is The (Financial) Administrator For The Foundation.

About Us

The Wetskills Water Challenge Is Developed Bottom-Up By Enthusiastic Water Professionals Who Are Closely Involved And Passionate About Their Profession And The World Of Wetskills.